Tool-box



A. BALBONI.

TOOL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25.1919

1 40,870, Patented May 25, 1920.

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UNITED STATES ANACLETO BALBONI, OF NEPQNSET, MASSACHUSETTS.

Application filed July 25, 1919.

necessitates their working in various different places and the object thereof is to provide a convenient tool box in which the workman may carry his tools from place to place with means for supporting the box in such a manner that tools are readily accessible to him whether his work can be done while standing upon the floor or upon a scaffold, ladder, or upon the frame work of the structure upon which he is employed.

In many shops and yards such as ship yards each mechanic or workman has the tools issued to him such as are necessary for the work which he is to accomplish and these tools are ordinarily carried in the WVhen the workman has finished using the tool he drops it down and in gathering up his tools to go to a different job frequently leaves one or more behind. In other instances other workmen pick up the tools which are thus laid down and the workman who is responsible for them is required to make a considerable search before he recovers the misplaced or borrowed article.

This confusion in tools most frequently occurs in places like shipyards where alarge number of workmen are operating in a small space so that when they drop their tools the tools readily become intermingled and in the confusion of gathering up the tools many disputes arise. In many instances the workman is unable to carry conveniently a number of tools which are required for his daily task and. he therefore must make one or more trips to the stock room for the purpose of obtaining the proper tools. All of this requires time and reduces the efficiency of the workmen. Such interruptions are also annoying and irritating both to the workman and to the foreman.

The object of the present invention is to provide a tool box having a cover which can Specification of Letters Patent.

TOOL-BOX.

Patented May 1920.

Serial No. 313,265.

be removed so that the top is entirely open and all the tools therein visible to the view, means being provided for securing the top to the box preferably by reversing it and securing it to the bottom of the box.

Another object of the invention is to provide a convenient and effective mechanism for locking the cover either upon the top or upon the bottom of the box.

In many instances it is desirable that the box may be supported upon its side, particularly when the box is relatively shallow and broad.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool box with a handle whichmay be located in such a manner that the handle will be normal to the bottom of the'box or in substantial parallelism therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide a handle with means by which the box may be hung at any'convenient height, the hanger being, so connected to the box or handle that it will not slide endwise a sufiigient distance to cause the upsetting of the Other objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from the following description and accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tool box embodying my invention, certain portions being broken away to illustrate the locking mechanism therefor.

Fig. 2 is an end view, certain portions being broken away and showing the handle in Igertical position normal to the bottom of the F 3 is a similar view showing the handle locked in a position parallel to the bottom, whereby the box may be carried upon its side.

The preferred form of tool box illustrated herein comprises a bottom 1, sides 2, 3 and ends 4, 5, diverging upwardly from the bottom to the top. A cover 6 is provided having marginal ribs 7, 8 extending along its sides and similar ribs 9, 10 extending across its ends, the ribs being so located as to fit within the top of the box or to surround and embrace the outer edge of the bottom 1 of the box. One of these ribs, preferably the end rib 10 is provided with outer and inner grooves or rabbets 11 and 12, the outer rabbet being adapted to cooperate with a complementary rabbet 13 upon the top of the end wall 4 of the box.

Any suitable means may be used for se-' curing the otherwise free end of the cover to the box. Preferably the end of said cover is provided with a hasp 15 which is adapted to enter a lock 16 suitably secured to the end 5 of the box, preferably within a countersink near said end.

A similar lock 17 may also be secured to the lower portion of the end 5 of the box to cooperate with the rabbets 12, 1 1 in looking the cover upon the bottom of the box where it will be secured firmly while the box is in use. By thus providing a cover which may be removed and the top locked upon the bottom the danger of losing the cover is eliminated and the workman is enabled quickly to replace the cover and lock his box of tools whenever it is necessary for him to leave the job on which he is employd. Furthermore the box containing the tools when thus locked may be put in storage from day to day without the necessity of checking up the tools in the tool room each night and issuing them again the next morning.

When relatively shallow boxes are used it is sometimes desirable to carry them upon the side instead of with top uppermost and to accomplish this purpose I have provided means for locking the handle in position normal to the bottom of the box or in parallelism therewith.

In the preferred construction illustrated herein the handle 18 is of general U-shaped form and desirably provided centrally with an offset had grip portion 19. The ends 20, 21 of the handle extend at right angles to the portion 18 thereof-and are pivotally connected to studs 22, 23 located in the vertical plane of the longitudinal axis of the box and preferably a short distance below the top of the box. One or both of the ends 20, 21 of the handle may be provided with an extension 241 having adjacent its ends oppositely disposed recesses 25, 26 which are adapted to be engaged by a detent 27 pivot-.

ally mounted upon a stud 28 extending outwardly from the end of the box.

When the handle is in vertical position and the detent 27 turned to engage the recess 25 the handle will be secured in said position so that the box may be carried steadily with its'top uppermost. When it is desired to carry the box upon its side the handle may be turned to the horizontal position illustrated in Fig. 3 and locked in such position by turning the detent 27 un-' til it engages the recess 26. V

In order to support the box with its top and bottom in vertical position when resting upon the side, the lower portion of the side 3 of the box is provided with a flange 29 which may extend along the box. or may herein the hook section comprises a loop or ring 32 to which hooks 33, 34c, and 35 of different lengths are attached. By reason of this construction the workman is enabled to support his tool box at a convenient height so that it is less effort to take the tools from the box and replace them therein than to lay them elsewhere or drop them upon the floor.

It will be understood that the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is illustrative and not restrictive and that various modifications in form and arrangement of parts may be made within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tool box of rectangular form having a bottom, side and end walls permanently secured thereto and diverging from the bottom to the top, a cover having ribs adjacent its edges arranged to fit within the'top of the box and to fit the outside of the bottom thereof and independent means for locking said cover upon the top or upon the bottom of said box.

2. A tool box of rectangular form having its walls diverging from the bottom to the top, a cover having ribs adjacent its edges arranged to fit within the top of the box and to fit the outside of the bottom thereof, one of said ribs having internal and external rabbets, rabbets upon the insideof the top portion of the box and upon the outside of the bottom portion of the box adapted to cooperate respectively with the rabbets upon the cover and locking means upon the side or end of the box opposite said rabbets adapted to cooperate therewith to secure the cover on the top or bottom of the box.

A tool box comprising a rectangular receptacle having a cover and means for detachablysecuring the same to the receptacle, a handle pivotally connected to the ends of the receptacle at points well below the top thereof, the ends of said handle extending beyond said pivot and provided with oppositely disposed recesses, and a latch pivotally mounted on said box adapted to engage either of said recesses and thereby se lectively lock. the handle in a position normal to the bottom of said box or in parallelism therewith whereby the box may be carried with its top uppermost or with its side uppermost.

A tool box comprising a rectangular receptacle having its walls diverging from the bottom upwardly, a cover having ribs arijaccnt its edges arranged to fit within the top of the box or to fit the outside of the bottom, means for locking the cover upon the top or the bottom of the box, a handle pivotally connected to the end of the box at points well below the edge thereof, means for locking the handle in position normal to the bottom of the box or in parallelism therewith and a flange on the side of the box of sufficient width to support the top and bottom of the box in vertical position when the handle is arranged for carrying it with the side uppermost.

o. A tool box comprising a rectangular receptacle, a handle pivotally connected to the ends of said receptacle and having a central offset portion adapted to be clasped by the hand, and a handle secured to said offset portion having a series of hooks of different effective lengths for engaging a support whereby the box may be hung at such heights as may be convenient for the user.

6. A tool box comprising a rectangular receptacle, a handle pivotally connected to the ends of said receptacle and having a central offset portion, a handle comprising a flexible portion having means detachably connecting the same to the offset portion of said handle and a section having a plurality of hooks at different effective lengths where- I by the box may be hung at such heights as may be convenient to the user.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ANAOLETO BALBONI. 

